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Representing the 5th District of Illinois

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Quigley Statement on the Trump Administration’s Attack on Contraception Coverage

Oct 6, 2017

Press Release

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus, released the following statement after the Trump Administration issued a new contraception rule that would allow employers to claim a religious or moral objection to providing birth control coverage to their employees:

“Birth control is health care, not a bargaining chip to score political points,” said Rep. Quigley. “It is clear that this Administration has no understanding of how women’s health care works, and rather than learning more about the way both women and men rely on contraception, they are committed to stripping away care with no concern for the consequences. This dangerous decision rolls back years of progress and threatens the wellbeing of American women who trust their government to act with their best interests at heart. I am appalled by this thoughtless rule and will do all I can in Congress to protect reliable, affordable access to contraception.”

The Affordable Care Act includes a provision that includes birth control as preventive health care — requiring health insurance plans cover birth control without a copay. Thanks to the ACA, 62.4 million women now have access to birth control without out-of-pocket cost and are saving an average of $255 per year. The new rule, which goes into effect immediately, eliminates the guarantee that women will continue to receive coverage for birth control regardless of their employer’s beliefs by making the ACA accommodation voluntary.

As a Member of the Pro-Choice Caucus, Rep. Quigley is a strong supporter of every woman’s right to choose, as well as their access to quality, affordable health care. In order to address recent attacks on reproductive services, Rep. Quigley helped introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act, pushed for passage of the EACH Woman Act, and joined his colleagues in calling for an end to the Hyde Amendment that prevents federal funding for abortion. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, he has also pushed for increased funding for the Title X program and Planned Parenthood and recently spoke out against H.R. 3354, an appropriations bill that will cut women’s health care programs.